Chapter 31: Snow Spirit

The four years of cultivation had benefited not only her. Since Snow Spirit had hatched, it had begun to experiment with absorbing every kind of fire. During her breaks from training, Hansu would take it to several peaks where earthfires burned, causing mischief. Snow Spirit’s adorable appearance won over many disciples assigned to guard the earthfires; they willingly let it devour as it pleased. Fortunately, Snow Spirit only needed a small portion of each fire source, so the peak masters merely turned a blind eye, allowing her to proceed. Only when she reached Spirit Cloud Peak, where the sect leader resided, did the matter take a different turn—the sect leader, having rushed over upon hearing the news, caught sight of Snow Spirit himself. His heart twisted countless times with reluctance; the pained look on his face made Hansu laugh every time she remembered it.

After consuming many fire sources, Snow Spirit could now emit several types of spirit fire. The mutual assistance between it and Hansu during cultivation doubled their progress. Now, Snow Spirit was even more advanced—a fourth-tier spirit beast, equivalent to the human Nascent Soul stage, though its abilities were limited by its master and could only match the peak of the Golden Core stage. Hansu still wasn’t sure whether it inherited the bloodline of the Calamity Dog, or if the Calamity Dog was descended from it; what was certain was its lineage as a divine beast, for upon birth it was already a second-tier spirit beast and could speak human words.

Human and beast sat facing each other; Snow Spirit exhaled mysterious fire while Hansu’s palms danced, absorbing the true essence contained within. Once the mysterious fire weakened, Hansu used fire spiritual energy to aid Snow Spirit’s cultivation. After several rounds, both gained improvements. Hansu fed Snow Spirit a spirit beast pill, watched it obediently crawl into its beast pouch to sleep, then settled herself cross-legged to restore her spiritual energy.

By the time her energy was fully replenished, the sun was already high in the sky. Hansu sent a communication jade talisman to Linxiu, pulled out her little white lotus artifact, and leisurely flew toward the outer peaks.

Though she had already formed her foundation and could ride a flying sword, Hansu found sword-riding tiresome and dull. Her doting father Lan and Dao Lord sought out rare materials for Dao Lord Miaozhen to craft a flying artifact for her, one she could use until the Golden Core stage. It was identical to her beloved white lotus—comfortable and beautiful. Moreover, this high-grade white lotus was among the fastest flying artifacts available.

Since Linxiu would accompany Hansu to the trial, Dao Lord Hengbo had specially pulled Hansu from her seclusion so the two could build rapport in advance. Linxiu planned to take Hansu to the sect’s Ten Thousand Forest Mountain to hunt monsters and train. Today, she would first take her to the marketplace to buy supplies and prepare.

When Hansu arrived at the foot of Spirit Mist Peak, Linxiu was already waiting. Though over ninety years old, she appeared only seventeen or eighteen, not exceptionally beautiful but possessing a serene, chrysanthemum-like elegance. She wore the inner sect uniform, and when she saw Hansu approach, her tranquil eyes brightened and a gentle smile blossomed.

Hansu put away her flying artifact, hurried forward, and grasped Linxiu’s hand. “Third Senior Sister.” Linxiu smiled, patting Hansu’s hand. “I didn’t expect, after ten years away, my little junior sister would have formed her foundation. Perhaps in a few more years, she’ll become a Golden Core Adept?” Hansu flushed with embarrassment and tugged at her hand. “Senior Sister, don’t tease me.”

Linxiu affectionately touched her head, then led her onto her own flying artifact—a green leaf, not unlike Hansu’s white lotus in ingenuity. Sitting atop it was soft and tender; the leaf was vibrant, its veins clearly visible. Along the way, Linxiu spoke at length about her experiences training outside the sect.

Before she finished, they arrived. Standing at the marketplace entrance, Linxiu said, “Today, we’ll buy pills, talismans, arrays, and materials.” With that, she pulled Hansu into the pill shop.

Since it was the sect’s marketplace, every shop belonged either to cultivator families allied to the sect or disciples who had lost hope of advancement. The pill shop, for instance, was owned by a Golden Core family from Spirit Medicine Peak. The shop was small but distinctive. Upon entering, Hansu felt a sense of familiarity. The little shop was clean and bright, with an island-style counter in the center. Wooden shelves behind the counter held many common pills, separated into small compartments, each labeled with a red paper bearing the pill’s name. Along the walls, more counters divided by cultivation stage, with the front area dedicated to Qi Refining pills. The myriad pills were sorted by function into different compartments—truly neat and orderly, clear at a glance.

Linxiu hesitated at the door. “When did this shop change?” Hansu looked at her in surprise, thinking, “So it wasn’t always like this?”

An attendant noticed them at the entrance and greeted them with a broad smile. “Are you looking for pills for the Foundation Establishment stage? Please, this way.”

Linxiu gave him a brief glance, then led Hansu to the Foundation Establishment counter. With a wave of her hand, several bottles of pills appeared on the counter. “These are Spirit Nourishing Pills. See if they’re accepted.” The attendant opened the jade bottles, inspected the pills, and said, “Five bottles of mid-grade Spirit Nourishing Pills; five hundred low-grade spirit stones. Would you prefer spirit stones or exchange for pills?”

“Exchange for three bottles of Blood Replenishing Pills, three of Hemostatic Powder, three of Spirit Restoration Pills, three of Bruise Dissolving Pills, one Small Recovery Pill, one Primordial Spirit Pill, one Heart Protection Pill, three of Tranquil Heart Pills, and three Detoxification Pills.”

The attendant lowered his head to calculate. “You’ll need to pay the shop an additional two thousand three hundred low-grade spirit stones.” Hansu hurried to pay, but Linxiu waved her hand; a storage pouch landed on the counter. “Exactly two thousand three hundred. Please accept it.” The attendant took the spirit stones, then packed the pills into the pouch, handing it to Linxiu with a smile. “Senior, your purchase exceeds two thousand five hundred spirit stones. You may draw for a prize.” Immediately, a Foundation Establishment attendant brought over a bag and set three jade boxes before them.

“Each box contains pills of varying value. Please choose one, Senior.”

Linxiu smiled. “This is interesting. Hansu, you pick.” Hansu hesitated, then chose the box on the far left. The attendant opened it to reveal a bottle of Clear Sight Spirit Water. He exclaimed, “What luck, Junior. There is only one bottle of Clear Sight Spirit Water in the shop. With a single drop on your eyes, within ten breaths you can see through all illusions.” Hansu mused silently, realizing the benefit of her transmigration was her improved luck.

Leaving the pill shop, Hansu suddenly remembered something and stopped abruptly, slapping her forehead. Linxiu looked at her in surprise. “Little junior sister, what’s wrong?” “Hehe, nothing, just remembered something all of a sudden.”

Hansu quickly caught up with her senior sister, discreetly wiping away imaginary sweat. Only now did she realize the pill shop’s layout and sales tactics were reminiscent of modern times—she guessed Immortal Lután had suggested it. After all, this shop belonged to the Golden Core family on Spirit Medicine Peak whom she had paid respects to.

Next, they visited the talisman shop, the array shop, and the materials shop. Linxiu sold some items, then bought supplies commonly used outside, and materials she had obtained during her own training. Hansu watched, dazzled by the transactions, feeling more and more like a frog at the bottom of a well. For the first time, she became truly invested in the upcoming trial.